2 Person Single Wall — Help me pick

I have not tried all three tents, but I recently did the research including those three and ended up going with the Double Rainbow.

For me, the option to make it mostly freestanding was important. I needed one "do it all" kind of tent, and have been in situations where I just CANNOT get stakes into the ground. Set-up in freestanding mode, it is definitely smaller than it is when staked, but I like to have the option.

I also liked that TarpTent sells a clip-in liner to effectively create a double wall tent. I camp where it's extremely humid, and frequently next to water, so condensation can be a huge issue. Again, I like to have the option.

Lastly, I wanted to be able to use my trekking poles while my shelter was standing. Sometimes I set up camp in one spot and go on several shorter hikes that I like to have my poles for. I also sometimes use a MYOG camp chair that uses my trekking poles for the back support.

As someone who doesn't have the funds to buy a specialized shelter for every situation I may encounter, the Double Rainbow's versatility definitely sold me.

Thanks Morgan. Do you feel like the DR could fit two people and gear reasonably well? We are both about 5'10

Jason,
I own the Double Rainbow as well and really like the tent. It is about as light as you can get for a full enclosed silnylon shelter (that doesn't require trekking poles for support) and the design of it is really well thought out. Huge bang for your buck with that tent.

As far as the space goes. I am 5'10" and my wife is 5'4" and we fit just fine with a fair amount of extra interior floor space at our head and feet for extra clothes bags, etc. We leave our backpacks and shoes outside of the interior under the vestibules so I can't comment how the tent would feel with everything inside, but I will say that there is enough room in the vestibules for all this "dirty" gear.

The only real downsides of the Double Rainbow are 1) the condensation considerations that must be dealt with in all single walled tents, and 2) the sloping sidewalls that take away a fair amount of interior volume.

Still the sloping sidewalls allow for a more effective wind-shedding designs than say, the more voluminous SMD Lunar Duo (which is also a really nice tent).

I also like the sloping sidewalls because I can scooch my head all the way to edge of the bathtub floor and look up at the stars as I'm falling asleep. It's an unexpected perk that I enjoy quite a lot.

The wife and I took our Rainshadow with us on the AT several weeks ago, and were very pleased with it. Plenty of room IN the tent for both of us (6'2" and 5'9") and ALL of our gear. No condensation on this trip either…it's a well-ventilated shelter.

Well I will say I am definitely leaning toward the DR. My only draw to the rainshadow is because we may want to take our daughter along when she's a little older, but maybe I'll just cross that bridge when I get there. Thanks for the comments.